
Of course, all 50mm lenses tend to be pretty good, so differences will be in terms of construction quality, longevity, and the absolute performance at the top grade of lens making. If you don't need the f/0.95 aperture then a fair bit of cash can be saved by going for the new f/1.2 lens. However, all we are comparing are degrees of outstanding, so it is doubtful that the difference will be seen in images.

In terms of performance, the two lenses act in a very similar way and at the widest apertures the more expensive lens just has the edge. Whatever level of performance and cost is aimed for, there should be something for everybody in this list of the finest "50mm Prime" lenses.Īnother very expensive standard lens for the Nikon Z system, offering a lens not quite as fast as the f/0.95 Noct but at a fraction of the price. A 50mm f/1.8 would be considered a good standard and a 50mm f/1.4 would be considered a fast version. Of course, the cost goes up exponentially the faster the lens becomes and the depth of field steadily reduces. It may well be even faster, with apertures of f/1.8, f/1.7, f/1.4, f/1.2, f/1 and even f/0.95 being available. Whereas the average standard zoom might have a maximum aperture of only f/4 or f/2.8, the 50mm prime will start at around f/2.

The other major cost factor is the speed of the lens. Then there is the new generation of big, heavy, expensive and superb optics that are chasing the quality level of the high-priced Zeiss lenses. There are the conventional, larger and heavier but still fairly compact lenses that may have been in lens ranges for many years, possibly even since the days of film. There are low priced, largely plastic lenses often referred to as "plastic fantastics" as they are sometimes capable of stunning results. There are various levels of quality/pricing and these do not necessarily directly relate to image quality. All of these lenses will yield an image very similar to what our eyes see, so all are included in this “50mm” lens list.
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Full frame is around 50mm, APS-C crop sensor is around 35mm and Micro Four Thirds is around 25mm. With digital cameras there are of course many different formats, so the focal length that is considered a standard lens will vary. The image from a zoom lens would be likely to degrade very quickly. Unlike a standard zoom, the 50mm prime can also be, optically speaking, abused in many ways, such as the use of close-up lenses, extension tubes, teleconverters and other optical additions and yet still retain sufficient quality. This still leaves the question of 'why 50mm?' only half answered, and the rest of this is because this focal length gives a perspective that is very similar to that viewed by the human eye. It is actually 43mm, but lens manufacturers settled on the slightly longer length for ease of manufacture and historic reasons. So, for the full frame of 24x36mm, this measures around 50mm.

Why 50mm? The "standard" lens for any given format is considered to be the focal length that is approximately the diagonal measurement of the format. It will also be less expensive than a high-quality zoom. So why consider a 50mm prime lens? The 50mm prime was at one time the kit lens of choice and it has the advantages of being of generally higher quality than the zoom, more compact and will almost certainly have a much faster (brighter) maximum aperture, enabling images to be shot in even the dullest light.

Most camera kits include a standard zoom lens, highly versatile and of adequate to good quality. We've also grouped brands together so you can easily find the brand/lens mount you're looking for. This list is split into Best Medium Format 50mm Prime Lenses, Best Full Frame 50mm Prime Lenses, Best APS-C 50mm Prime Lenses and Best MFT 50mm Prime Lenses. For everyone else, we've put together a top list of 50mm lenses to help you make an informed choice on what your next purchase should be. So many, in fact, that it's well worth taking a look at our review section or the Equipment Database if you already have a specific 50mm lens in mind and just want to see how it scored. There are plenty of 50mm lenses currently available, both from third-party lens manufacturers as well as well-known camera brands, and ePHOTOzine has reviewed a fair few of them.
